The Evil? Queen
by Charming SVU Angel
Summary: During and after The Doctor
1. Chapter 1

_This will either be two or three chapters depending on how long the second ends up being. I hope to have this completed before the new episode Sunday._**  
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**Disclaimer: Not mine. If it was Daniel would be alive.**

"Goodbye, Daniel."

Regina collapsed to the ground outside the stall, sobbing. She had just destroyed any chance of ever being able to bring Daniel back to her. Her true love was gone forever, by her hand. She had used magic after telling herself and Henry she was done. She had used magic to destroy the one person who had always loved her, always believed in her, besides her father, but she had never noticed her father's devotion in the same way she had Daniel's.

Destroying Daniel had been different than killing her father. When she killed her father, she had been determined to get revenge on Snow White for Daniel's death at her mother's hand but when she destroyed Daniel just now, she was attempting to better herself. To prove to Henry that the Evil Queen was not who she had always been.

"Mom?"

She looked up to see Henry and James approaching her. She sprang to her feet and pulled her son into her arms. "Henry! Are you alright? Did he hurt you?"

"I'm fine," he half-heartedly hugged her back. "Who was that, Mom? Where did he go?"

"He's gone. Don't worry. He can't hurt you or anyone else anymore."

"You killed him?" Henry backed away. "You used magic to kill him, didn't you?"

"Henry. Please. Let me explain," she begged, reaching out to him.

"No! You killed him! You're not trying to redeem yourself. You lied to me." He turned and fled the stable causing the horses to snort in surprise as he ran past.

"Henry!" Regina desperately called after him.

"Did you kill him?" James asked harshly.

"Daniel was already dead. I just gave him the rest he needed," she snapped then choked by a sob. "He's gone for good. He can never be brought back to hurt anyone again."

"Good." He took a brief moment to study her. "Are you okay?"

"I just destroyed my fiancé. What do you think?" she sneered turning back to face the spot where Daniel had stood.

A hand on her shoulder caused her to flinch. "I'll talk to Henry." James said then his hand disappeared.

Turning, Regina found herself alone in the stable. She felt lost and had no idea how to make her son believe her; how to make all of Storybrooke believe that, she was trying to change.

A horse stomped its hoof making Regina aware that both times she had lost Daniel it had been in the stable, somewhere that used to be her favorite place to go. Fresh tears tried to push their way to the surface but she fought them back and ran from the building. She went to her car and drove back into town, intending to head home.

As she drove down the street, she spotted Henry and James sitting on a bench, talking. Suddenly blinded by tears, she pulled over to compose herself, for once not caring who saw her. She had to find a way to get Henry to listen and believe her.

She climbed out of her car and walked down the street, not paying attention to where she was going. She entered a building and stopped outside a door, knocking before she realized what she was doing.

When Archie opened the door, she found she could not hold back. "I used magic."


	2. Chapter 2

_**Took me longer to get this chapter written than I hoped between school and life. Kind of slow and boring but the last chapter should be better. I hope to have chapter 3 uploaded fairly soon, it's already partially written and will be longer. **_

**Disclaimer: Not mine  
**

"Henry?" James sat on the bench next to his grandson. Grandson! He still could not believe it. His baby girl was all grown up with a child of her own.

"What?"

"I need to talk to you. About your…" he paused. "About Regina."

"What about her?"

"I think you should let her explain what happened."

"Why? She used magic after she said she was done. She used magic to kill someone."

"Daniel was already dead. Dr. Whale brought him back to life."

"She still used magic."

"For you." James sighed. He hated that he was defending the Evil Queen but knew she had actually used magic for good this time. He continued, "Regina used her magic to protect you. She wanted to save Daniel but he was too violent. If it weren't for you, she probably would have left him alive. As much as I hate to admit it, she does love you."

"But why did she use magic?"

"You'll have to ask her that."

"I don't know if I want to talk to her."

"I know you're mad at her, I am too, but she's still your mother and if you want answers you have to ask her."

"I guess so," he stared at the ground. "Can we go find her now?"

"Of course." James stood up and caught sight of the former mayor's car. "It looks like she's nearby. Her car's here."

"Good." Henry stated firmly.

"Want to see her before you change your mind?" James said with a slightly teasing tone in his voice. He was trying to lighten the mood and by Henry's lack of response, he decided he failed. "Come on, kid. Let's go find your mom."

The two wandered the town for a couple of hours looking for Regina before returning to the bench they had been sitting on. James glanced down the street. "Her car's still here. We looked all over. Where do you think she is?"

"I don't know," Henry sighed. "I'm starting to get worried."

As much as he hated to admit it, James was worried as well. The town was, understandably, angry with the queen. He knew they wanted to make her pay and while he felt the same, he also knew Regina was hurting. That she was not the same person who had enacted the curse all those years ago. He understood as well that her change was because of the boy sitting next to him. Despite what the other people thought, she loved her son and nothing would ever change that.

"Mom!" Henry's voice drew James back to the matter at hand. He looked up to see Regina walking toward her car.

Henry jumped up and ran toward her. "Mom!"

Regina turned, revealing her tearstained face to the others. Henry launched himself into her arms, causing her to stumble back. "Henry!" she held him tightly, feeling fresh tears prick at her eyes.

"Mom? Can we talk?" Henry asked. "I want to know what happened."

"Of course we can talk," she replied, kissing his forehead. "Can it wait until tomorrow, though? I just spent two hours talking to Archie. I need time to rest."

He nodded. "Can I stay with you tonight?"

"I'd love that but it's up to your grandpa."

Henry turned to James. "Can I stay with Mom?"

Hesitantly, James nodded. "I'll come get you tomorrow afternoon."

Grateful, Regina looked up with a sad smile. "Thank you, David."

_**Please leave a review to let me know what you think.**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Final chapter. Longer than the others, the conversation was harder to right then I expected. I got some inspiration from last night's episode when Regina and Henry was discussing magic.**_

**Disclaimer: N****ot mine.**_**  
**_

When Regina awoke, she was alarmed to feel something on top of her. She opened her eyes to find Henry asleep halfway on her. A sad smile crossed her face as she recalled how he had ended up in her room the night before.

_Upon arriving home, Regina turned to Henry, speaking for the first time since they had told James goodnight. "Are you hungry?"_

"_No." he shook his head and yawned._

"_I guess you're tired." She did not know why she felt so nervous. Henry was her son, she had raised him for ten year. Just because they had been separated the last few days and at odds the last few months, it did not mean they could not work through it. Emma Swan was currently out of the picture, giving Regina the opportunity to reconnect with Henry._

"_Mom?" Henry's voice pulled her back._

_She gave him a gentle smile. "Yes?"_

"_I said I'm going to bed."_

"_Okay. I'm ready for bed as well." They walked up the stairs together, pausing outside Henry's bedroom. Regina made a motion as if to hug him but stopped herself. "Goodnight, Henry."_

_Surprising both himself and his mother, Henry wrapped his arms around Regina. "Goodnight, Mom," he said before entering his room and closing the door._

_In shock, Regina went to her own bedroom and quickly got ready for bed. As she slid in between the sheets, the day's events once again caught up to her and sobs tore through her body. She curled up on her side, trying to stay quiet and failing._

_A moment later, she froze as she heard her door open. She lay still trying to stop the tears as Henry walked over and climbed onto the bed. He nestled against her. "I love you, Mom," he whispered._

"_I love you, too, Henry," she choked out, holding him tightly._

Blinking back sudden tears, Regina said softly. "Henry, I need up."

The boy grumbled and groaned about being woke up before raising his head to look at his mother. He gave a silly grin. "Morning, Mom."

"Morning, Henry. Can I get up?" she asked, kissing his forehead. "I need to use the bathroom."

Henry made a face. "Gross, Mom." He rolled off her. "What's for breakfast?"

"I think it's a cereal kind of day. We'll leave our pajamas on and eat on the couch," she replied as she slid out of bed.

Ten minutes later, the two were curled up on the couch, finishing their cereal. Regina was watching her son, waiting for him to ask his questions. She was nervous about the conversation coming but, at the same time, she felt relief that she was finally able to tell someone able Daniel.

"Who was that?" Henry startled her. She had spaced out, thinking about her lost love.

"Daniel," she said softly. "His name was Daniel. We were in love."

"Why haven't I ever seen him before? What happened?"

"My mother ripped his heart out and killed him right in front of me." Regina looked down. "We were going to run away but Snow caught us and told my mother after promising she wouldn't. She destroyed my happiness because she couldn't keep a secret."

"That's why you keep trying to destroy her happiness?" Henry asked in disbelief. "Snow was just a girl at the time, right?"

"Yes."

"If your mother was able to kill Daniel without a thought, don't you think she could have tricked Snow into telling her?"

Regina thought back to that night, really thought back instead of just dwelling on Daniel dying. She considered how her mother had deceived them into believing she was letting them leave before thrusting her hand into Daniel's chest. If she could convince the two of them, then she could definitely convince a little girl.

Her thoughts switched to when she found out Snow had told. The girl had said she did not want Regina to lose her mother the way she had. Now that she took the time to ponder the conversation and her mother's response afterward, she realized Cora had preyed on young Snow's insecurities about a mother-daughter relationship.

"Mom?" Henry touched her arm. "Are you okay?"

She looked at her son, Snow White's grandson, and forced a smile. "I'm fine. Just thinking."

"You didn't answer me."

"I know. I'm sorry. That's what I was thinking about," she replied.

"And?"

"I think you're right. My mother convinced me and Daniel that she accepted our relationship so she probably did manipulate Snow into believing her."

"So everything you've done to get revenge was worthless."

"No, it wasn't."

"But you just said…"

"It wasn't worthless because I got you out of it. Without the curse, Emma would have grown up with her parents and wouldn't have had you. She wouldn't have given you up and I wouldn't have adopted you."

Henry gave her a brief hug then stared at her seriously. "Why did you use magic to kill Daniel?"

"Dr. Whale brought Daniel back as a monster. I thought I could save him, even after he attacked you and me. For a few minutes, I did have him back but he begged me to let him go. When he turned mean again I knew I couldn't help him." Regina looked at the floor, feeling tears build in her eyes. "I used magic to keep him from hurting me again, but, more importantly, to keep him from hurting you again."

"Have you been using magic the entire time?"

Her head shot up and she grabbed her son's hands. "No. I made a promise to you, Henry. I may not be the best mother but I refuse to break that promise. I had no choice yesterday, but I _do_ want to redeem myself and be a better mother for you."

"I believe you."

She pulled Henry into her arms and kissed his head. "I love you, Henry."

"Love you too, Mom." He relaxed against her.

Feeling a smile cross her face, Regina held her son and made a silent promise to destroy the book of magic later.

_**Please review.**_


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